It’s easy to hit the panic button after a tough playoff loss, especially when you haven’t experienced one in nine years.
That’s doubly true when that defeat happens to be a lopsided one like the Toronto Maple Leafs suffered to the Boston Bruins on Wednesday. Even so, that 4-1 outcome is still just one game, something Joffrey Lupul seemed aware of when speaking with Rogers Sportsnet’s Chris Johnston.
“This series is not over,” Lupul said. “There is plenty of belief in here.”
The Leafs can look at their first-round opponents for evidence that a team can bounce from dire circumstances. The 2011 Bruins avoided elimination in three different Game 7’s during their Stanley Cup run and lost two opening home games in a quarterfinal series against the Montreal Canadiens, yet they became champions that year.
Obviously, there’s no guarantee that Toronto will enjoy anything close to that run, yet they can soak in plenty of examples of teams stumbling before experiencing great successes.